"There's more, sir."
Her tone was serious, and Ron sat back down.
"Ok, go ahead."
Candy looked at each of her co-workers before continuing
"We're not sure what this means, Admiral. But Tranquility copied several sequences of low-level SLIP activity. It was not strong enough to show up here, or at Kapteyn so we could not locate it."
"OK, what do you think it is?"
"We don't know. There were three instances early yesterday, each about ninety minutes, where there was a short message every 35 seconds or so."
"I know you can't read the messages, but just how short?"
"Less than a second."
Harris sat back, thinking. "Any ideas?"
"None, sir. I was reticent to bring it up, but I think you should know everything that we're working on."
"Yes, that's fine, I agree. Strange." He got up to leave. "Keep on this periodic message. They must mean something. We just need to figure it out."
"Yes, sir, we'll stay on it."
"Very well."
Ron left, but the odd repeating message nagged at his mind. It reminded him of something, but he couldn't quite recall what it was.
Antares
Enroute Earth
Thursday, June 29, 2078, 0925 UTC
Terri Michael was checking with Dr. Soto on her cultures and other biological testing when her phone sounded that she had a new SLIP message. 'ANTARES ACTUAL' it said. She found a quiet spot outside the lab in the passageway and opened the message. She gasped audibly as she read it.
PRIORITY 207805282200
SECRET
TO: ANTARES ACTUAL
FROM: CINC FLEETOPS
TERRI:
WITH REGRET MUST INFORM YOU AND CREW THAT SIGMA IS OVERDUE
AFTER ENGAGEMENT WITH MULTIPLE ENEMY SHIPS AT GL 876 MIDDAY 06/25.
WE ARE EXPLORING SAR OPTIONS AT THIS TIME.
SORRY TO TELL YOU VIA SLIP DID NOT WANT YOU BLINDSIDED ON RETURN.
WE WILL ADVISE YOU SOONEST IF ANY ADDITIONAL INFORMATION BECOMES AVAILABLE.
STILL HOPEFUL.
COOK & DAVENPORT
END
She tried to pull back the tears forming at the corners of her eyes but failed. She wrapped her arms around herself as if in an embrace.
"Dammit," she said quietly to herself.
As she processed the initial shock, she knew there was one person that she needed to tell in person and without delay. Hansen's quarters were not far down the passageway, so she made her way there, avoiding the eyes of the crew she encountered as she went. They looked at her strangely, but she could not tell them anything, not yet. She arrived at Hansen's door, and took a second to prepare herself before she knocked.
"Come." came the voice from inside.
Terri opened the door and stepped inside.
"Commander!" Carol exclaimed as she got up from her desk.
"Sit down, Carol."
"Yes, ma'am."
Terri closed the door behind her and sat in the other desk chair for a moment, saying nothing. Carol looked at Terri, at the closed door, then back at Terri, who was looking down at the floor.
"What's happened, ma'am? Just tell me."
She looked up at Hansen, realizing that she had already seen through her own rigid expression and body language.
"Sigma is overdue."
She saw the same shock on the younger woman's face that she had felt herself.
"David..." she said quietly.
Terri nodded her understanding.
"Yes. Len told me a while ago that he was aboard."
For Carol, the tears came quickly and flowed freely, but without sound or sobbing. Terri gave her a moment to process what she had heard and let the first wave of shock and anger wash over her.
"When?"
"Message says they were engaged with multiple ships on June 25th. GL 876."
"Multiple? Why--"
"Would Len Davis fight when outnumbered? Good question."
Terri handed the phone over so Carol could read the message herself.
"SAR...where is GL 876 anyway?"
Terri shrugged.
"I don't recall offhand. But we can't change course now. We're bingo on food and expendables as it is. No delays, no detours."
"Yes, ma'am, I understand, I would do the same."
"I know."
Terri regarded the woman in front of her, the wretched expression on her face was not what she would expect from the possible loss of a friend. No, this was something more, something much deeper.
"Carol, I know it's none of my business, but-"
Carol met Terri's eyes, and she smiled a little despite the pain she felt.
"Dan Smith said it best when we were at Kapteyn. David is the other half of me."
Terri sat very still, inviting the younger woman to go on.
"That's the only way I know to express it." Carol stopped to wipe her eyes and cheek. "I've only just come to realize it, but I think David's known all along."
Terri touched her gently on the shoulder, unsure of how to help her. She started to rise, to go back to her own cabin and process her own pain.
"I'll call the crew together at noon. That will give you some time-"
"I am not ashamed, Commander Michael." Carol's voice came with a sudden strength, almost a defiance, that caused Terri to settle back into her chair. Carol's brown eyes were wide open, focused directly on Terri, even as they filled and overflowed.
"I am not ashamed," she repeated. "I don't cry because I'm weak or afraid or can't do my job."
"I know that."
Terri looked at the young woman, the young, courageous officer, with sympathy.
"Carol, I once described you as 'all steel under the velvet,' did you know that?"
Carol shook her head. "No. When?"
"Before the walk on Inor."
"I really was afraid, then."
Terri smiled. "Any sane person would have been afraid. I was terrified. But you, you were brilliant. I took a risk putting you ahead of the other officers we had there, and you never, not once, disappointed me."
"Yes, ma'am."
"And as I sit here I realized we are not that far apart in age, you know? Just a few years."
"Yes, I know."
Carol was again aware of the tears escaping her cheeks. She took a tissue to dry them. The flow was slowing down as she gradually brought her reaction under control.
"Well, Len Davis is my classmate, Carol, and my friend. I'm waiting until noon because I need it, not because I think you need it."
"Yes, ma'am. I know you and Commander Davis have a lot of history together."
"Indeed, we do."
"If he's gone then I am very sorry. He is a good man."
"Yes, he is. So, I think, is Powell. We will hold out hope for both of them - for all of them - until we know more, OK?"
Carol nodded.
"I meant what I said at Inor, and I would say the same today about the woman before me right now."
She rose, pushing the chair back under the other desk.
"Try to get your head around this, Carol. The crew will be watching your reaction, and I need you to be strong."
Carol nodded her understanding.
Terri left Carol's quarters and made her way to her Duty Cabin, just behind the Bridge. She had her own pain to process, and some kind of speech to prepare for the crew. She sat at her desk, still stunned despite her talk with Hansen. So, she thought, Abuelita Santos, can you hear me from this far? What wisdom have you for me now?
There was no way to sweeten this news, she knew, so maybe hard and fast like she told Hansen would be the right way to tell the crew. Perhaps she should give them the respect of treating them like adults and let them handle it best they could. Thank God we're only nine days out, she thought.
Little Teresa, the grandmother in her head whispered to her, you already know what is best, what is wise. Bitter news is tempered when delivered with kind
ness. You already know this.
July 2078
Kapteyn Station
Tuesday, July 5, 2078
Ben hitched a ride to Kapteyn Station on Gagarin, which was heading out to replace Stoykiy (Steadfast) which had some problems with their IR sensors and needed a depot-level repair. He put the transit time to good use, learning and re-learning the internal specifications of the Sentinels. They were a remarkable invention, and he knew some of the folks in Intel who had dreamed them up. Ben could hear their voices as he read some of the descriptions and process instructions. When it came time to deploy, Weaps would be responsible for getting them overboard, but it would be Intel, that is, him, that would be responsible for start-up and check out of the devices.
Intrepid was already there when Gagarin pulled in, but he suppressed the impulse to invite Joanne to a drink at Uncle Vito's on Main Street and instead reported to the ship in the usual way. He had also used his travel time to get up to speed on Intrepid, too, her general layout and how to get from most point 'A's to most point 'B's. Once past the duty officer, he made a fairly direct path to the Captain's office. Only one wrong turn. Arriving in the office, he found the usual young admin tech, head down in some task on his workstation.
"Good afternoon."
The tech looked up.
"Hello Mister Price, the Captain has been expecting you. She said to go on in."
Price moved past the reception counter and opened the door. After his check-in with Joanne, Ben found his quarters easily enough, he was in a four-bunk room with three other warrants, all of whom worked in either Engineering or Reactor.
It didn't take long for one to needle the newcomer.
"So, Ben, word is that you and Henderson were pretty tight back in Plans."
Ben glanced around the room, which had become very quiet. Obviously, this was a pre-planned ambush.
"Yeah, we worked together, argued a lot, but we became friends. That's it."
"Oh, come on...friends? We all know you can't be a guy and be just friends with a woman."
Price looked at the instigator for a few seconds before responding.
"Actually, if you're a grownup, you can."
"Ohhh man, I just can't get it. You had all that right in front of you night after night - and nothing?"
"All what?"
"All of her..."
"And what night after night? You have way too much time on your hands, and you're thinking up stuff that never happened," he said with finality.
"Bet it did."
It was a bait, but Ben was too savvy to fall for something this stupid. Finally, one of the others spoke up.
"Knock it off, Eric," John Meyers said.
"Shove it up your ass, Meyers. You're as full of shit as he is."
Ben, having dropped his bags in his locker, now turned and looked directly at the instigator.
"Unless you're willing to formally accuse me, and the Captain, of an illicit relationship, I suggest you shut your mouth and keep your fantasies to yourself."
Eric rolled his eyes and crawled back into his bunk. John stopped looking at Eric and caught Ben's eye.
"Dinner?"
"Yeah, fine." they walked out and headed for the wardroom.
"I'm John Meyers, Reactor Ops."
"Good to meet you. What's with the asshole?"
"He's been ranting about you and Henderson ever since he heard you were coming. Seems he knows someone at HQ."
"Not surprising...I kinda expected something like this. I thought they'd wait 'till I got unpacked, though."
They laughed a little at that.
"Good job keeping your cool. He was really begging for a fight."
"Shit, if I had to beat up every asshole who didn't know what he was talking about I wouldn't have any knuckles left."
They turned the corner, went on into the wardroom and started working the buffet.
Intrepid
Kapteyn Station
Wednesday, July 6, 2078, 0830 UTC
Joanne looked around at her staff, now seated in the wardroom. They had turned out to be better than she expected, although some ‘weeding' had been necessary. Fleet had beached Ensign Court, probably permanently. The maintenance Chief Tech was also reassigned. She regretted those decisions, slightly, as it likely meant the end of Court's career, but it was based on his obvious, measurable performance and not just on his shitty attitude. So far, no one had complained that he was gone. As the officers and warrants filed in Ben took an inconspicuous position towards the far end of the table.
"Ok," she said, "time to get started. I know you're all wondering about Mister Price and why we're here at Kapteyn. It's time to tell you."
She took a sip of her coffee.
"After the last month of shakedown, I am satisfied that this vessel is ready for mission operations. This is not going to be a routine surveillance outing. We have a list of six specific systems which we will visit. We will be minimum EMR the entire time. Make sure we're clear on that. We will not be reporting our exits from each system. This is probably the stealthiest mission you have participated in. Or will. Mister Price?"
"Yes, Captain. Fleet Intel has been working on an autonomous monitoring station, what they call a Sentinel. This station will collect IR, UV, RF, and SLIP data and report any events it sees back to the Intel folks at Fleet. These stations have the potential to give us information on enemy movements and location on a persistent basis, without risking a ship. Once we plant one, we can stop visiting that system so often with manned ships, which means the ability for us to cover more ground in less time. The first six Sentinels are now in our hangar. Our job on this mission is to deploy them in the six star systems Intel has picked."
There was a moment of quiet, then the Weapons officer, Jim Kirkland spoke up.
"So, Mister Price, what is the procedure for deploying these things? How big are they?"
"Well, Lieutenant Kirkland, there is a draft procedure that Intel has given us, but part of our task is to refine, fix, or otherwise verify it. Once you've had time to review it, I'd like to sit down with you and Commander Bass and see what you think of it. The Sentinels themselves are a meter or so in diameter, about three meters long."
"That will be fine - I would have liked a little more information to prepare for this, Captain," he complained to Henderson.
"Understood, but until we were ready, and the Sentinels were ready and loaded, it was my decision to keep it quiet," she responded evenly.
"Yes, ma'am, but I would remind you that the Intel officer works for me. I should have been told."
Kirkland was clearly annoyed, feeling both blindsided and diminished by being left out of the loop.
"I understand Lieutenant. Nothing personal. This was my call, and you should know that Mister Price argued your point and I overruled him." XO Bass leaned forward.
"If it makes you feel any better, James, they only told me last week."
Kirkland nodded and smiled, appearing satisfied with her explanation.
"Ok, well, that's settled. Our first target is Gliese 687, 15.1 light-years from here. From there we'll hit L 143-23, 10.3, Epsilon Indi, 12.3, GL 674, 4.8, then Ross 154, 8, and finally Luyten 725-32, 15.5."
There were groans all around. Henderson just shrugged.
"Hey, I am just the messenger here. Call Dan Harris in Intel if you have a better idea."
That got her a laugh, and not just a polite one. They were warming up to her.
"From Luyten we go home, which is 12.5." She set down her tablet.
"That's almost 80 light years to cover, so figure ninety days out at a minimum. With time to decelerate, checkout and deliver the Sentinels, then move on, we're probably looking at upwards of a hundred days."
She waited a moment.
"I don't think the enemy has spies among us, really, but neither do we want to draw attention to this mission. Tell your families you're going out for 120 days on an exploration mission — tell your crew to say the same. Depending on
how it goes it might well be that long since even Kapteyn is 13 days from home. If we get back earlier, fine, maybe we can surprise them, but you know how it can go — we may get back here and get ordered somewhere else."
"How were these stars selected?" Kirkland asked Ben.
"I really don't know, Lieutenant, I have no particular information on that point. But looking at the pattern, clearly, Fleet Intel thinks something is up in the southern hemisphere. At the outbreak of the war, when I was in Plans, we found that the southern sky had not been examined as carefully as the northern part so this may reflect a reaction to that fact."
"I guess that makes sense."
"Yes, Lieutenant; for what it's worth I was not at all surprised by this list," Henderson confirmed.
She took one more look at the faces around the table. She didn't see any more questions.
"We leave in 48 hours. Spend that time getting your divisions ready for a long trip."
She turned to her Logistics officer, Ensign Bernado Medina.
"Stores, I want provisions for 150 days, understood?"
"Yes, ma'am. That's a lot of cargo, Commander, but we'll get it."
"Anything you can get, Bernie, I'll sign off on."
"Yes, Commander. I'll see about entertainment and rec supplies as well."
"Great, we'll need it. Do you see any problem getting that much?"
"No, ma'am, Kapteyn is very well supplied. It should be no problem."
OK, let's get to it. Dismissed."
They rose and filed out of the wardroom, a sudden chaos of chatter filling the space and spilling out into the passageway as they went.
Intrepid
Kapteyn Station
Thursday, July 7, 2078, 1000 UTC
Jesus these things are ugly, Ben thought to himself as he walked around the Sentinels in the hangar. When he first heard of them he had thought they'd be more or less spherical, something like seagoing mines, but they were hexagonally boxy, with antennas and lenses sticking out here and there. He'd studied the drawings and system specifications, but they were far worse in person than they had seemed on paper.
They also weren't particularly stealthy, other than a coat of flat slate-grey EM-absorbing paint. End-on they were a meter across, and three meters long. They would sit in orbit about a half AU from the star, somewhat further out for the larger stars so they would not require any special cooling or other heat protection. The RTG would provide power and heat for the electronics. They mounted the IR on the opposite end from the RTG module since they liked it cold. Their orbits would be at a 90-degree angle from the normal plane of the system. This would minimize the time they spent looking through the nominal plane of the system, the dust and miscellaneous rocks and junk left behind by the process of planet creation.
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